Methods are outlined for the study of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) in relation to the structure and bonding of species chemisorbed to colloidal metal(0) particle surfaces, the excitation profiles for Raman bands, the detailed mechanism of enhancement, and its potential in observing Raman bands of actively-catalyzed species on the particle surface. Silver sols with adsorbed citrate and citrate analogs will be structurally analyzed in detail. Chromophoric adsorbates with carboxylate groups will be introduced to observe additional resonance Raman (RR) scattering. The effects of particle size and shape and metal-adsorbate bond strength will be determined. SERS with similar sols of silver and gold will be compared. Progessively more complex adsorbates from amino acids to peptides to proteins will be introduced. The time dependence of SERS in several colloidal metal systems, as it applies to aggregation and particle growth, will be followed.